Junto Boys

EUROPEAN POKER TOUR

Last Monday, I paid $42 to play a satellite tournament. There were 13 players and the winner was rewarded with a $420 ticket to a qualifying tournament for the European Poker Tour final in Monte Carlo. I won the tourney and the ticket. The first of three qualifying tournaments was scheduled for Sunday at 10A PST, so I marked my calendar.

Today, I used my ticket to play the qualifier with a field of 45. If there were any more than 45 players, then there would have been some cash available for 2nd place, but as it was, it was all or nothing, with first prize being a package valued at $18,000.

I played well out of the gate and never fell below my initial $1500 in chips. Slow and steady gains with a couple of big wins mixed in, and with 25 players remaining, I was in first place. When it got down to 20 players, I was in first place and had more than twice the stack of the next player. I got good cards for awhile and pretended to be playing the bully, but when someone would go all in against me, they would discover that I had a premium hand.

The cards dried up for a long while, and I was no longer in first place once we were down to 7 players. At the two-hour break, I was 5 of 7, but the lead was changing on every other hand, so I still felt good. After the break, it was still bad cards for awhile, but I didn't get desperate. The play of the day came when a player went all in under the gun, and I chose to go all in with him, holding 88. I figured he had two high cards, and I was just using my 52% odds to pray for a chance to double up. Our stacks were virtually even, so whoever lost this hand was done for. I couldn't have been happier when he showed 77. My eights held up, which doubled me up, and put me in the hunt.

It got down to heads up play with me at a 2:1 chip disadvantage. I faced the same predicament in the satellite match, and I played my A game and was able to come back and win. My cost was covered either way in that tournament. This time, it was $18 grand for the winner, and a pat on the back for the loser.

I needed to double up, which I was able to do without incident. A pivotal hand came soon after, when I raised a small amount with 33. He called, which clued me in that he had cards on the high side. The flop came 577 and I sheepishly checked. He bet $6000 in an intimidating attempt to get me to fold my ace or king. I came back all in, putting my tournament life on the line. He could only call if he had a 7, which we both knew he didn't have. He folded, and for the first time, I had the chip lead.

I started running over him, taking his chips a couple thousand at a time, until I had a 4:1 chip advantage over him. The final hand, I called in the small blind with 97 suited. He held AK and decided to lure me into a trap by not raising. The flop came 7 high and I checked. He came back all in. I called. The sevens held up.

I won a 10,000 euro ($12,300) entry into a tournament to be played in Monte Carlo, Monaco next month, with $5700 travel expenses! Gotta love online poker! Look for my mug to appear here soon.